Thailand Property Ownership & FAQs

There are some stunning properties on the market right now and some great opportunities for investment in apartments of excellent specification and price..

Although there are a number of area's with property for sale to foreigners in Thailand, the focus is on Pattaya and Jomtien because of the convenience of location, exceptional micro climate, value for money, well developed services and infrastructure and ease of access to both the capital city of BKK and International airport.

Condo sales in Pattaya continue to grow and Joe Lizzerd wants to give our prospective expatriate and overseas purchasers an accurate overview of the more important aspects of condominium law in Thailand.

Thailand’s Condominium Act 2008 defines a condo similarly to the corresponding definition in many other countries: a building that can be divided into units for individual ownership and in which owners will have ownership of common property.

One of only limited ways to buy property in Thailand is to set up a company in Thailand and then purchase the property. So, how is this done and what are the costs, issues and hassles involved ?

One way to buy land in Thailand is to become the principal investor in a Thai export orientated business that is Board of Investment approves. This allows you to own up to 1600m2 of land. You can also own the same amount of land with investment of 40m baht for a minimum number of years or obtain Thai Residency.

1.1 Owning Property in Thailand

This article mainly covers ownership of property by a foreign individual by himself or by a company he sets up. It does not cover ownership of properties by large companies.

The property ownership laws of Thailand are somewhat nationalistic, whereby foreign individuals can legitimately secure property only in certain ways. The main issue is real estate, but similar laws cover other items. If you are not legally established in Thailand and following procedures, then you will take risks.

Foreigners can buy some things outright. Other things must be leased or bought properly. The most common methods of properly securing property are:

Such advice is particularly important given the fact that Thai business regulations are governed predominantly by criminal law, not civil law. While foreigners rarely are jailed for improper business activities, violation of Thai business regulations can carry heavy criminal penalties.

Thailand has removed tax disincentives on buying domestic financial institutions. The Financial Institutions Act passed at the end of 2007 gave power to the Bank of Thailand (the country’s central bank) to raise the foreign ownership limit in a local bank from 25 percent to 49 percent on a case-by-case basis.

The biggest market among foreigners in Pattaya is condos. Like the rest of Thailand this is because of foreign ownership restrictions on land. Condo sales in Pattaya are equally supported by Thai buyers, due to the convenience and commutable proximity to Bangkok – providing a weekend holiday home. Condos in Pattaya are comparatively expensive compared to houses and their prices increase the higher you are probably (especially with rampant development destroying the view of the sea).

Pattaya’s housing and condo markets continue to prosper with an increasingly two tier market developing as both the established high and mid-range sectors perform equally well. They now directly rival private investment associated with he more established upmarket Thai resorts.

Pinch me! I’m really living on an island. It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time. I actually grew up in a small province of Canada called Nova Scotia that is almost an island except for the swatch of land connecting it to New Brunswick. For the first half of my life I was never far away from the Atlantic Ocean… that, coupled with being a water sign, clinched it for me. I’ve always been drawn to any large body of water, only as I got older, it had to be in warmer climes.

After seeing my partner off in a taxi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, I was ‘lucky’ enough to get the next taxi to take me to work. It seemed to be very humid already, we hadn’t seen any rain the day before and I was feeling it. I was also struggling to walk after the previous day’s gym workout…

A 5 part series of everything you ever need to know about Thai food from the four different regions of Thailand.

Thai cuisine is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. Thai cuisine is known for being spicy. Balance, detail and variety are important to Thai cooking. Thai food is known for its balance of the four fundamental taste senses in each dish or the overall meal: sour, sweet, salty, and (optional) bitter; and it also can be quite hot (spicy).

Much Thai food is ‘shared’—a cultural practice that reflects the ‘communal’ or ‘family’ approach to eating. In this five-part series, we’ve separated the shared dishes into ‘regions’ in Thailand, and their respective most popular dishes. We’ve included the names in English, so as you try all the different varieties, you can identify your favorites, and ask for them by name. We’ve also included many names in Thai, so you can show it to your Thai friends or at restaurants.

Real Estate is a very high value industry, which inevitably makes it a prime stamping ground for rip-off merchants and scam-artists, particularly in Thailand, sometimes dubbed the Land of shark smiles”. Naïve, would-be investors make perfect victims for the unscrupulous, who delight in taking the shirts from off their backs, especially in Fun Town, where anything goes and scams are legion.